Operatives of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have arrested a suspected producer of counterfeit alcoholic beverages during an enforcement operation in Benin City, Edo State.
The suspect, Daniel Okafor, was apprehended at a facility on Ewah Road, off Ikpoba Slope, where he was allegedly manufacturing various brands of alcoholic drinks.
Mukhtar Babatunde, an assistant chief regulatory officer who led the operation, disclosed that the arrest followed over a month of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
“We had been trailing him for more than a month over the adulteration of different brands of alcoholic gin,” Mr Babatunde told journalists. “When we received intelligence that production had resumed, we moved in and met him in the course of production.”
He explained that the team employed considerable ingenuity to gain access to the premises, where they discovered finished products, including Lord’s Dry Gin and Majestic Schnapps, alongside packaging materials and labels. Approximately 12 litres of ethanol of unverified grade were also recovered.
During questioning, Mr Okafor admitted to producing three brands—Eagle, Lord, and Chelsea—and conceded that he was neither registered with the agency nor operating under a recognised company name.
The suspect revealed that the product labels were sourced from Aba and that he had been engaged in the illicit production for approximately two years. He further stated that the products were transported via waybills to locations in Onitsha.
Mr Okafor has been handed over to the enforcement team from the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Asaba for further investigation and possible prosecution.
